This is a very old entry — images are small, formatting is off.

Established in 1992, Optus is the second largest telecommunications provider in Australia — Telstra being number one (see Brand New review here) — offering internet, mobile and landline services, and pay television. Over the weekend, Optus introduced a new identity designed by Sydney-based RE, advertising by M&C Saatchi, custom type by Mathieu Réguer, and character development by Marco Palmieri. Get ready to scroll, there is a lot to see.

Context: Previous advertising, with old identity.

Context: Previous-previous advertising.

The new Optus brand story is built on one significant yet transformational consumer insight: “Once the ink is dry, the love is gone”. Unpacking this insight suggests that most consumers feel abandoned, once the acquisition process is completed. The service provider disappears from their lives, and they struggle for attention and support, leading to a complete absence of ?customer experience across the life of a contract or the relationship with their provider. t became very clear, that just like 20 years before, the customer needed a champion. One that understood the changing and emerging needs of today’s consumer, and was ready to change their operating models and service offering to exceed their expectations. To optimistically promise to say ‘Yes’ to their customers, whenever and wherever they needed them to.— Provided text

The new brand expression is designed to create greater positivity and emotional connection with Optus customers. It radically departs from the often technocratic, and digitally enhanced visuals often associated with Aussie telcos. […] To bring this to life, the brand is first and foremost represented through a new brand voice, brought to the customer in the form of a bespoke hand-drawn headline typeface, giving the message a sense of humanity. […] This warm, human communication style, is a down to earth approach that speaks to its customers in everyday, easy to understand language. Peppered with a relaxed humour that doesn’t try too hard: no jargon, no indecipherable techno-babble, simply a brand voice that tells it like it is, in a way that makes it easier for everyone to understand.

A further addition to the brand is the introduction of a brand character. A can- do-positively-do-anything little fella, he’s the wingman to our customers, providing greater support and understanding, and displaying a bit of cheekiness at the same time.

Say hello to Optus yellow thingie. Character development by Marco Palmieri.

Sketches and early development.

Character’s behavior.

Character waving and type animation.

For the second-largest anything, the old logo was an insult with its italicized italic “yes” and chubby Copperplate-ish name and the advertising was cheesy and unimaginative. The new logo, identity, and tone of voice are all a magnificent upgrade. Operating within some of today’s identity trends — from the hand-drawn typeface to the bold typography to the introduction of a character to witty and cheeky copywriting — RE manages to make all the tropes work perfectly in unison and everything is executed with great craft and clearly a sense of fun. The character seems like a cool, amorphous guy you would want to hang out with and has enough personality without overdoing it where you would want to punch it in the face. Introducing a character is always tricky, but it makes sense here in establishing a clear difference between Optus and Telstra. The new typography is fun and bold, perfectly suited for the tone of voice which has enough bite to it without getting too un-serious. Below you can see how it all comes together. No much further opinion on my part other than expressing my great satisfaction of just looking at all this.

30-second spot.

Declaration of yes.

Outdoor advertising.

Packaging.

Other fun stuff.

Comments

Optus will have you Saying Yes in No Time

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Established in 1992, Optus is the second largest telecommunications provider in Australia — Telstra being number one (see Brand New review here) — offering internet, mobile and landline services, and pay television. Over the weekend, Optus introduced a new identity designed by Sydney-based RE, advertising by M&C Saatchi, custom type by Mathieu Réguer, and character development by Marco Palmieri. Get ready to scroll, there is a lot to see.